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West Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge
BECKLEY, WV—Charles Kenton Grimes, 38, of Beckley, West Virginia, pled guilty yesterday before United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston, admitting he possessed child pornography.
The conviction stems from an investigation conducted by the West Virginia State Police's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The joint investigation revealed that for over a year, Grimes searched for and downloaded images and videos of child pornography from the internet using a computer located at his house in Beckley, West Virginia. Grimes downloaded many of the images and videos using a peer-to-peer file sharing program called Limewire. Using Limewire, Grimes also offered to trade these images and videos with others. In January 2008, an undercover officer downloaded five images of child pornography from Grimes. A forensic analysis of his computer revealed that Grimes possessed over 300 images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including sexual intercourse. Many of the images and videos depict known children who have been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Grimes, who is scheduled to be sentenced on November 9, 2009, faces up to 10 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release. Assistant United States Attorney Karen B. Schommer is handling the prosecution.
"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about cases and related activities please visit www.usdoj.gov/usao/wvs and www.projectsafechildhood.gov."
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